A Walk Through Fire
by equine02
Summary: A look at life, through the eyes of Saunders.


**I know, I know, I haven't finished my other fic yet… but the Saunders in my head was begging me to get this out, so here it is. I present to you: Sgt. Saunders look at life. Please make him happy and tell me what you think. Chippy-boy, I sure hope you think I did a good job.**

 **Disclaimer: I'm not even going to go there. I. Do. Not. Own. Them. Got it?**

I faced a lot of stuff that scared me to death. When I was six, there was this carnival that came to our town, and with it came clowns and jugglers, and all those strange things people feel obliged to watch. Well, it was the lions that scared me most. They paced around in those cages- I think I only went to that carnival one night, even though it was there for nearly a week.

When I was ten I got dared by a neighbor kid to climb one of the big ol' pine trees out front of Mr. Mickensky's post office. I think I got about halfway up when the thought struck my mind to look down. Scared me so bad I, fell almost fifteen feet down that tree and broke my arm in two places. I never took a dare from that kid again.

Growing up, we kids held baseball games, and I was always eager to join in… even when I was shorter than the bat. By the time I was twelve I was just about the best batter on my team- we'd given ourselves names, cause there were just enough of us to have two teams. My team was the Sharks, and the other team was called the Rangers.

I remember one time, the sun was hotter than it had ever been, and it must have been late August, because storm clouds were piled up like whipped cream on the horizon, watching us play, and the grass was faded green from the sunshine all summer. There was this kid, Dwayne, and he was the best pitcher on the Rangers. He could swing a curve ball just as good as any pitcher in the big leagues. Well, I was up, and he was pitcher. The score was… well, I don't remember it now- feels like a lifetime ago. Then it was freshly printed in my mind's eye. I remember it being so close. That's right, must have been a tie, because either way, one team would win depending on my batting. I was scared to death.

Sweat was pouring down into my eyes so I could hardly see. Funny thing is, I don't remember how that game ended. What was important them is so distant now. Three months ago I learned Dwayne was in Italy when he took a bullet for a comrade and died two days later.

See, nowadays I'm not scared of lions, or trees, or baseball games. I don't see those things as problems like I was so sure they were at the time. Now they're beautiful. To find a tree unscathed by bullet holes and gashes is a wonderful thing. To enjoy a baseball game, even one with a bat from the last century and a ball splitting at its seams- that's heaven, no matter who wins.

I don't see lions out here. But I've seen pictures, and I guess what scared me when I was a kid isn't the same now; I only see a big tabby cat.

You know what scares me now? Running out of time.

Time, it's such a strange thing. From the time we're young, to our last day, it's always running away. And the hours we spent as children staring out windows and playing in the streets…those hours we can't ever get back, but wouldn't have spent any other way.

I'm not afraid of getting hit any more. Not like when I was fresh to this war. I was green then, afraid of seeing my lifeblood, and the blood of others. I guess when I was little I saw the world as a clock which would always go around, and could never stop, the hands somehow seeming to find their place the same as they did the day before. Now I see a timeline, one that will have to end for me, and even then, go on, leaving my life as a tiny span on the larger picture. I only hope my walk through fire and blood will leave a bigger mark on the timeline- one that tells a story which holds no fear. But at the same time- don't we all need fear? To propel us, and teach us to never make those mistakes again. Or, like with a certain baseball game, to teach us how to enjoy the things which are blessings in disguise. Fear…It is the greatest gift, sometimes.

 **Thank you for reading! I hope to post a new chapter on "The Silence" sometime this week… you know, reviews might help….hint, hint!**

 **Thanks so much for the support I have received and am receiving, you guys are all the greatest, and you're really what helps me keep these coming. I would never have had the confidence to post it if wasn't for you!**


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